Disney World

Wow - I can't believe it's been a month already since we were in Florida, basking in the sun and humidity, and I'm still not caught up at work! Vacation was wonderful, reality, um - not so great.

Here are some pics from our trip - enjoy!

Erin loved getting autographs, even though she didn't think she would care about it. Ryan, at this point, was hovering behind me and John, too scared to get close.

I was anticipating long lines for getting character autographs and photos. But it was great. First thing we did when we got to Animal Kingdom was head to Camp Mickey and Minnie and we hardly had to wait for autographs. Of course, Ryan was still hovering in the background.

Finally, with the rest of the family by his side, Ryan warmed up and got his picture taken with Lilo and Stitch.

Animal Kingdom had some African drums set up. Ryan rocked out. Love the shades!

Here we're on the Toy Story ride at Magic Kingdom. It's an interactive ride where you get to shoot at things as you go.

Dinner at Chef Mickey's. The food was great, but Mickey was sick - hopefully not from the food! We still saw Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto.

The electrical parade at Magic Kingdom. It was quite a site to see, but warning, find your spot early and don't move - to say it was crowded would be an understatement.

The kids got to trick or treat during Mickey's not so scary Halloween party at Magic Kingdom. The weather was perfect - I don't think we'll get the same luck this week.

We spent the afternoon at Cocoa Beach. It was the first time the kids have seen or splashed in an ocean. It was a great break from the land of mouse, parades and fireworks.

What was Ryan's favorite part of the trip? The Lego store at Downtown Disney. Yes - we fly to Florida for a week, spend 7 days at theme parks and see the ocean, only to have Ryan's favorite part be something he could do in Minnesota! Apparently he doesn't realize we have a Lego store in Minnesota and I'm not sure I want to tell him.

We had breakfast with Minnie, Donald and Goofy at the Beach Club Hotel. It was a buffet and the food was great. I'd definitely try to find more buffets the next time we head to Disney.

Erin loved exploring the shops at the World Showcase at Epcot.

Lunch at the 50's Dine In at Hollywood Studios.

Another parade - this one at Hollywood Studios. Actually, this one was called a Block Party Bash, not a parade.

Ryan finally got to see one of his favorite characters - Lightning McQueen.

The finale of Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios. Each park has it's own version of fireworks. Hollywood Studios was one of the best shows - it was a mix of lasers, water and fireworks - plus, it's in an amphlitheater so you get to sit on a real bench instead of the curb!

Disney pin trading is rampant in all of the parks, but I do have to admit - the pins are adorable. They have pins for just about everything - princesses, villians, rides, parks, hotels. Luckily, the kids didn't get into it until the last couple days we were there. But it did make a great souvenir for the trip.

We had a great time, and now that I've had a month to recover, I can honestly say I can't wait to go again. Next time, I think we're doing the land/sea package and mixing all of the walking at the parks with some relaxing time on a cruise.

And yes, I do plan to scrapbook our trip. Not all 1200 pictures, but keep watching. Once I get past the hecticness of the next couple weeks, I'll start our Disney album and post the layouts as I go.

As Mickey says - have a Magical Day!